Ribbon-spool mounting



Sept. 2 1924.

- J. S. DUNCAN RIBBON SPOOL MOUNTING I Filld lay 29 2 Shuts-Shut l Patented Sept. 2 1924.

UNITED. TATES 1,506,891 PATE T OFFICE.

, Iosnrn s. DUNCAN, or CHICAGO, ILL NoIs, ASSIGNOR i'ro ADDRESSOGRAZPH COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ACORPORATION'IOF ILLINOIS. V j

RIBBIOYN-SFPOYOL MOUNTING.-

' Application filed M ay 29, 1 922. Serial No- 564,339.

To all whom it may cmwemt:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH S. DUNCAN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use fulImprovements in Ribbon spool Mountings,' of which the following is a specifica tion.

.This invention relates to printing ma;

chines which make an impression through an ink ribbon and it has reter'encemore particularly to the means for mounting the ribbon spool in the machine.

v The object of'the inventio'n'is to provide Fig. 2is also a plan view on a smaller scale than F 1g. 1, showing a. spool supporting bracket slid to one side not printing position and parts of the frame in section; Fig. 3' is an elevation looking at the left end of Fig. 1;

Fig.4 is a transverse 4 -,of Fig. 1;

' Figs. '5 and 6 arelongitudinal sections on thelines and: 66 respectively of section on the line Fig. 1; A i A s Fig. 7 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 1 showing a smaller spool and an extension. made therefor;

Fig. '8 is a sectional view on the line 8-8 ot'Fig. 7;

showing the. two ribbon spools and their mountings with the ribbon stretched between the spools v I I 'F'ig. 9 is a sectional View on'the line 9"*9 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of a. portion of a ribbon'spool, and Fig. 11

is an end view-of the spool forming the subject- -n'1atterof my copending application,

Fig. 9 is a plan view on a reduced scale:

SerialNo. 564,340, filed May 29, 1922, can bGllSGd with this invention. g Referring to thedrawings, 10-10 are .two

brackets arranged toslide on tracks or rails,

11'11 supported in the frame 12 of the machine. I have employed the presentinvent-ion with satisfactory results in a ima-, chine for printing letters from a stationary form and individual, addresses for. each printed letterfrom successively changing ad;

dress forms, oneofwhich is fed to printing position for each printing operation so that a -letter and a different address is printed at each operation of the machine. Theinvention may be employed with machines de-' signed to print from a 'stationary form only. or it may be embodied in any other type of printing machine for" which it is adapted.

The part 12 bethe main frame of the printing machine or any other part thereof forming a support for the f ribbon "spool mountin hereinidescribedfl v f A sh'aIt '13 (Figs. 1-5) isfsupported in a; part of. the frame 12 and ahead 14:is re-f mova'bly secured on. the endfof the shaft by a pin 14:. A knurled head 15 and a, ratchet wheel j 16 are spaced apart and pinned tothe shaft113 and between them lever isiintermediately mounted, one arm 17 thereotcarrying a spring controlled feed A pawl 18 which engages the ratchetwheel 16 and the other arm'17f ofthe leverbeing con-- nected to an operating rod 19 which is-opa erated in any suitable mannerto impart an intermittent motion, to "the shaft 13 and thereby cause the ribbon spool 20 to revolve in the usual feeding or'take up motion. The

knurled head is provided to enablea manual movement of the ribbon .spoolwhenever required. y 1

The bracket 10 (Figsl, 2 and 6) is provided with 1ugs12 which support a rod 21 slidably mounted therein andhaving at one end a head 22 which may be keyed to the rod, as'shown in 6, to revolve independently' thereot, orit maybe pinned rigidlyto the rodto' remain stationarytherewith. A knurled-- head 23 is pinned to the other end. of the rod 21 and. adjacent to theknurled head an arm 24 is rigidly mount; ed on the rod and carries a pin 25 wh ch is adapted to be engaged with an opening 25 in the lug12", or with a'recess 25.

The arm. .24 is also provided with a handle 24;: A spring 26 on the rod 21 normally which prevents rotat'on of the rod'21. If

the head 22 is keyed to therod 21-.as'shown, it may revolve intermittently with the spool which is driven from the mounting at the other end of the spool, as-hereinbefore described, but if the head 22 is pinned rigidly to the rod the spool will revolve in the head. \Vhen it is desired to release the clamping action of the heads 14! and 22 on the spool for any purpose it may be easily accomplished by grasping the knurled head 23 and withdrawingthe rod, compressing the spring 26, withdrawing the head 22 from the spool '20 and withdrawing the pin 25 from the opening 25. To hold the rod 21 in this position the rod is turned sufficiently, by manipulating the head 23 or the handle 2%, to engage the pin 25 with the recess 25".

The machine will ordinarily be constructed for making impressions from a printing form of certain predetermined maximum dimensons, and the spool mounting will be made accordingly to receive spools carrying a ribbon of a width suitable for such a form; but it may be desirable to use a smaller form 1n such a machine, requiring a correspondingly smaller ribbon and I have provided means for extending the heads to accommodate shorter spools. I have only shown one such extension in the drawings but it will be understood that a plurality of extensions of different lengths may be provided if desired. In Figs. 7 and 8 the extension head 27 is substituted for the head 14 and pinned to the shaft 13 and the spool 27" is engaged with the extension head as heretofore described. A correspond'ng extension head will be provided for the. companion spool (not shown).

7 The mounting for the companion spool 20 is substantially the same as the mounting for the spool 20 except that the feed mechanism is not required and the left end head 28 is mounted on, an arm 29 adjustably secured by set screws 303O which engage openings 3030" in the bracket 10 to slide therewith. Since this head is not directly driven it can be made adjustable in this manner and the extension head or adapter 27 required for extending the head 14 is not necessary.

To support the spool 20 in, position for beingclamped between its heads I provide guides in thefform of pins 31 mounted on arms 3232 carried by the bracket 10 (Fig.

2), one of these arms beng adjustably mounted on the bracketlO 'to conform with the adpter extension when used (Figs. 17). Between each pair of pins 31 I provide a short pin 31 upon which the spool rests temporarily. For the other spool 20 I provide at the right end an arm 33 with guide pins 34 and supporting pin 34 similar to those heretofore described, and Iwould employ'the same guide and supporting pins at the left end of this spool 20 if desired but I have found :itconvenient to use here a yoke'35 which is secured by screws to the arm 29 and is adjustable therewith.

I prefer to make the heads for the left end (Fig. 5) of each spool with a groove 36 and with a conical projectingcenter 37 (Fig. 5); and the head on the adapter extension 27 is similarly providedwith a groove 36and the center conical extension 37 (Fig. 8). The heads at the right hand ends of-the spools (Fig. 9) are pref erably recessed at 38 (Fig. 6) to receive the ends of the spools. withdrawn and secured in retracted position, as heretofore described, the spools are in serted in place and rest between the guide pins 31 restingupon the supporting pins The right heads being;

31. The left end of the spool 20" will rest in the yoke The left ends of both spools are hollow (the spools being ordinarily tubular) and engage the conical centers of the left heads. When the right heads are released. from retracted position the. springs 26 project them forwardly engaging the right ends of the spools and forcing the spools into the grooves 36 in the left heads, the spools being guided by the conical centers 37-37 in this movement. The inner wall of the flange forming the" grooves of the left heads and the inner wall of the flange forming the recesses in the right heads are bevelled so that when the heads are clamped on the spool. the latter will be lifted suflicient-ly to clear the full spool from the support 31' and the yoke; Ordinarily this lifting will be importantonly as to the spool .20 which is inserted fully wrapped as the ribbonsupply spool,

the outer end of the ribbon being fastened or to be fastened to the spool 20 which is the feed or windup spool. But it.may'be necessary or desirable at any stage of'the operations to remove and to replace the ribbon as it was when removed and I-therefore find it convenient to provide for supporting the spools as herebefore described. I may construct .the spool ends and'the heads, one or both, for frictional or for interlocking engagement, but it is only es: sential that the left head-14 for the spool 20 should have driving engagement, frictional or interlocking, with the spool; the other heads may revolvefreely with the spools or they may be relatively stationary and the.

spools revolve freely therein. For this inengagement to drivethe spool, (Figs. 4-5) or I may provide one'or both ends-of the spools with teeth 40 extending longitudinab ly in the direction of the length of the spool to make interlocking engagement with recesses 41 forming teeth 49, therebetween for interlocking engagement with the teeth on the spool to drive the spool (Figs. 10, 11). I prefer to have some interengaging parts on the spool and head for interlocking them to produce a positive as distinguished from a frictional driving connection, since this will assure a proper intermittent feed of the ribbon and avoid the possibility of slipping which-may occur with a friction drive. For some purposes, it may be sufficient to provide for a friction drive.

It is necessary, of course, that spool 20 should be supported when the brackets 1010 are moved to the right (as indicated at Fig. 2) to permit access to the printing form which is ordinarily covered by the ribbon because the driven head 14 must remain in fixed position, and this support is furnished by pins 31 in cooperation with the guide pins 31.

The invention provides a simple mounting for the ribbon spools in the machine and I prefer that the spools should be made so that either spool may be arranged in the mounting for spool 20 and so that the position of the spools may be reversed to reverse the ribbon.

The embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings is a selected form which I have found satisfactory, but I am aware that changes in the'form, proportion and arrangement of parts may be made without departingfrom thespirit or sacrificing the advantages of the invention and I reserve the right to make all such changes as fairly fall within the scope ofthe following claims.

I claim:

1. The combination of a driving head and a clamping head, means for operating the driving head, a spring pressed rod carrying the clamping head, a ribbon spool, comprising a tubular member, seats in each of said heads to receive-the ends of said tubular member, and means on the driving head and on'the end of the tubular member engaged therewith for making interlocking driving connection therebetween.

2 The combination of a ribbon spool, a

spring pressed rod, a support for said rod having an opening therein and a recess ad-v jacent said opening, a head carried by the rod and engaging the end of the spool, an arm on the rod, and a pin carried by the arm and engaging said opening in the forward position of the head and adapted to engage said recess to hold the arm and head in retracted position. 1

3. The combination of a slidable supporting member," arms on said supporting mem ber, and devices spaced apart on said arms to receive a ribbon spool therebetween and form a guide therefo 4. The combination of a supporting meinher, arms on said supporting member, one o-f said arms being movable relatively to the other, and upright-s spaced aparto-n said JOSEPH s. DUNCAN. 

